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[[Image:Sylvester McCoy.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Sylvester McCoy in an early 1990s agency publicity portrait]]
{{Infobox Person
'''Sylvester McCoy''' (born [[20th August|20]] [[August]], [[1943]]) played the [[Seventh Doctor|seventh incarnation]] of [[the Doctor]] from [[1987]] to [[1989]], beginning with "[[Time and the Rani]]" and ending with "[[Survival (TV story)|Survival]]"and in the [[1996]] ''Doctor Who'' [[Doctor Who: The TV Movie|television movie]]. He is sometimes credited as '''Sylveste McCoy'''.
|image        = SylvesterMcCoy.jpg
|aka          = Percy James Patrick Kent-Smith, Sylveste McCoy
|birth date    = [[20 August (people)|20 August]] [[1943 (people)|1943]]
|role          = [[Seventh Doctor]]
|job title    = [[Actor]]
|story        = [[#Credits|See Credits Section]]
|time          = 1987-1989, 1996, 1999-present
|non dwu      = ''The Ken Campbell Roadshow'', ''Vision On'', ''Dracula'', ''Tiswas'', ''Jigsaw'', ''Eureka'', ''The Last Place on Earth'', ''Jackanory'', ''Rab C. Nesbitt'', ''The History of Tom Jones, A Foundling'', ''Hollyoaks'', ''[[The Bill]]'', ''Doctors'', ''King Lear'', ''[[The Hobbit]]'' movies, ''Zapped'', ''Sense8''
|imdb          = 0566809
|twitter      = 4SylvesterMcCoy
|clip          = Amazing Audio Adventures - Doctor Who The Fan Show
|clip2        = Doctor Who Cares 2
}}{{you may|Sylvester McCoy (in-universe)|Sylvester McCoy (Earth-33⅓)|n1=his DWU counterpart|n2=the non-DWU individual}}
'''Sylvester McCoy''' (born [[20 August (people)|20 August]] [[1943 (people)|1943]]<ref>[https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/sylvester-mccoy.html Famous Birthdays]</ref> as '''Percy James Patrick Kent-Smith''') played the [[Seventh Doctor]] from 1987 to 1989 and 1996, beginning from ''[[Time and the Rani (TV story)|Time and the Rani]]'' to ''[[Survival (TV story)|Survival]]'', before returning for ''[[Doctor Who (TV story)|Doctor Who]]''.


He was born '''Percy James Patrick Kent-Smith''' in Dunoon, [[Scotland]]. In his youth, he trained for the priesthood, but gave this up and spent time working in the insurance industry. He worked in The Roundhouse box office for a time, where he was discovered by Ken Campbell.
He has reprised the role in the game show ''[[Search Out Space (TV story)|Search Out Space]]'', the 1993 [[Children in Need]] special ''[[Dimensions in Time (TV story)|Dimensions in Time]]'' and [[Big Finish Productions]]' audio adventures since 1999, as well as an [[Seventh Doctor (Death Comes to Time)|alternative version]] in the webcast ''[[Death Comes to Time (webcast)|Death Comes to Time]]''.


He came to prominence as a member of the comedy act "The Ken Campbell Roadshow." His best known act was as a stuntman character called "Sylveste McCoy", whose stunts included putting a fork and nails up his nose and stuffing [[wikipedia:ferret|ferret]]s down his trousers. As a joke, the programme notes listed Sylveste McCoy as played by "Sylvester McCoy", and after a reviewer missed the joke and assumed that Sylvester McCoy was a real person, Kent-Smith adopted this as his stage name. Notable television appearances before he gained the role of the Doctor included roles in ''Vision On'' (where he played Pepe, a character who lived in the mirror) and ''Tiswas''. McCoy also portrayed in one man shows on the stage two famous movie comedians, Stan Laurel and Buster Keaton. He also appeared as Bowers in the [[1985]] television mini series about Robert Falcon Scott's last antarctic expedition, ''The Last Place On Earth'', and had a small role in the [[1979]] film version of ''[[wikipedia:dracula|Dracula]]'', with Laurence Olivier and Frank Langella. (McCoy had also played the title role onstage.)
He is sometimes credited as '''Sylveste McCoy'''.


He took over the lead role of ''Doctor Who'' in [[1987]] from [[Colin Baker]], and remained until the series was shelved in [[1989]]. He played the Doctor in the [[1993]] charity special ''[[Dimensions in Time]]'', and again in [[1996]], appearing in the ''Doctor Who'' television movie where he handed the role over to [[Paul McGann]]. In his first season, McCoy, a comedy actor, portrayed the character with a degree of clown-like humour, but [[script editor]] [[Andrew Cartmel]] soon changed that. The Seventh Doctor developed into a much darker figure than any of his earlier incarnations, manipulating people like chess pieces and always seeming to be playing a deeper game. McCoy generally approved of this, as it allowed him to play more of a dramatic role.
== Profile ==
=== Prior to ''Doctor Who'' ===
McCoy was born Percy James Patrick Kent-Smith in Dunoon, [[Scotland]]. In his youth, he trained for the priesthood but gave this up and worked for a time in the insurance industry. He worked in The Roundhouse box office for a time, where he was discovered by Ken Campbell. He was a bodyguard for the Rolling Stones.


A distinguishing feature of McCoy's performances was his manner of speech. He used a slight Scottish accent, rolled his 'r's, and often placed emphasis on unusual syllables or words. This has the added (possibly intentional) effect of sounding a little alien, and wrong-footing the audience. It also made the viewer question established speech patterns often taken for granted. At the start of his tenure he used proverbs and sayings adapted to his own ends (eg. "There's many a slap twixt cup and lap" -  ''[[Delta and the Bannermen]]''), although this characteristic was phased out during the later, darker seasons of his tenure.
He came to prominence as a member of the comedy act ''The Ken Campbell Roadshow''. His best-known act was in a play called ''An Evening with Sylveste McCoy'', in which the title character was a stuntman whose stunts included putting a fork and nails up his nose and stuffing [[ferret]]s down his trousers. As a joke, in order to make the audience believe the character really existed, the cast listing in the programme billed Sylveste McCoy as being played by "Sylveste McCoy". After a reviewer missed the joke and assumed that Sylveste McCoy was a real person, Kent-Smith adopted it as his stage name. Some years later, he added an "r" to "Sylveste" — possibly because of there being thirteen letters in "Sylveste McCoy".


Although McCoy only appeared as the Doctor for three seasons (plus ''[[wikipedia:Search Out Science|Search Out Science]]'', ''Dimensions In Time'', the telemovie, and audio dramas), fandom treated him as the "current" Doctor from [[1987]] to [[1996]]. This view can be argued not just because he was the last actor to play the role, but also due to the Seventh Doctor's continuing presence as the Doctor in original novels and comic strips. Accordingly, some consider him to have beaten [[Tom Baker]]'s seven year record as the Doctor, although by some criteria McCoy's record is beaten by [[Paul McGann]] who would be identified as the current Doctor from 1996 until [[2005]].  
Notable television appearances before he gained the role of the Doctor included roles in ''Vision On'' (where he played Pepe, a character who lived in the mirror) and ''Tiswas''. McCoy also played in one-man shows on the stage as two famous movie comedians, Stan Laurel and Buster Keaton. He appeared as Bowers in the 1985 television mini-series about Robert Falcon Scott's last Antarctic expedition, {{wi|The Last Place on Earth}}, and had a small non-speaking role in the 1979 film version of {{wi|Dracula (1979 film)|Dracula}}, with Laurence Olivier and Frank Langella. (McCoy had also played the title role onstage.) In his Sylveste McCoy persona, he appeared in the first ''Secret Policeman's Ball'' film, a comedy/musical program in support of Amnesty International. The film was released to DVD in Region 1 in early 2009 as part of a box set of the Secret Policeman's benefits.


Through the [[1990s]], some ''Doctor Who'' fans blamed McCoy for the shelving of the original series, though ratings competition from ''Coronation Street'' seemed a far more likely reason. The rec.arts.drwho Usenet group became especially notorious as a place where one could be branded and attacked as a "pro-McCoy troll" for no other reason than expressing a liking for the Seventh Doctor.
Only months before being cast as the Seventh Doctor, McCoy played a villain in a B-film entitled ''Three Kinds of Heat'', which featured appearances by a number of Who alumni including [[Trevor Martin]] and, most notably, onetime [[Romana I]] actress [[Mary Tamm]], whose character was killed by McCoy's character.


McCoy's television roles since ''Doctor Who'' have included Michael Sams in the [[1997]] telemovie ''Beyond Fear'', shown on the first night of broadcast of Channel Five. He has also returned to play the Seventh Doctor in a series of audio plays by [[Big Finish Productions]].
=== As the Seventh Doctor ===
==== The television years ====
McCoy took over the lead role of ''Doctor Who'' from [[Colin Baker]] in 1987 and remained until the series was shelved in 1989. He would in turn hand over to [[Paul McGann]] in 1996.


He has also acted extensively in theatre in productions as diverse as pantomime and Molière. He played the role of Snuff in the macabre BBC Radio 4 comedy series ''The Cabaret of Dr Caligari''.
McCoy was one of several actors considered for the role. In 2010, audition tapes for several actors were included on the DVD release of the Seventh Doctor's debut story, ''[[Time and the Rani (TV story)|Time and the Rani]]''. In this audition, McCoy played opposite [[Janet Fielding]] (companion [[Tegan Jovanka]] from the [[Peter Davison]] era), who portrayed a villain in the scene.[http://blogtorwho.blogspot.com/2010/08/review-time-and-rani-dvd.html] Another audition piece was released on the ''[[Dragonfire (TV story)|Dragonfire]]'' DVD release.


From March 24th McCoy will play "The Fool" at the Courtyard Theatre, Stratford in King Lear with Sir Ian McKellan for the Royal Shakespeare Company.
McCoy actually has the distinction of having played ''two'' incarnations of the Doctor; when Baker declined an invitation to record the regeneration scene in ''[[Time and the Rani (TV story)|Time and the Rani]]'', McCoy put on a [[wig]] and Baker's costume and, with his face obscured by special effects, filled in for the role.


==External links==
In his first season, McCoy, a comedy actor, portrayed the character with a degree of clown-like humour, but [[script editor]] [[Andrew Cartmel]] soon changed that. The Seventh Doctor developed into a much darker figure than any of his earlier incarnations, manipulating people like chess pieces and always seeming to be playing a deeper game. McCoy generally approved of this, as it allowed him to play more of a dramatic role.
*{{imdb name|id=0566809|name=Sylvester McCoy}}
 
*[http://www.kasterborous.com/articles.asp?id=1 Travelling Light - Sylvester McCoy article at Kasterborous.com]
A distinguishing feature of McCoy's performances was his manner of speech. He used a slight Scottish accent (the only Doctor to have used a Scottish accent on a regular basis until [[Peter Capaldi]] began as the [[Twelfth Doctor]]), rolled his "r"s, and often placed emphasis on unusual syllables or words. This has the added (possibly intentional) effect of sounding a little alien and wrong-footing the audience. It also made the viewer question established speech patterns often taken for granted. At the start of his tenure, he used proverbs and sayings adapted to his own ends (e.g. "There's many a slap twixt cup and lap" — ''[[Delta and the Bannermen (TV story)|Delta and the Bannermen]]''), although this characteristic was phased out during the later, darker seasons of his tenure.
 
McCoy saw out the end of the original run with 1989's ''[[Survival (TV story)|Survival]]'', the last regularly airing ''Doctor Who'' story until ''[[Rose (TV story)|Rose]]'', which aired in 2005. He later reprised the role in the 1996 one-off, ''[[Doctor Who (TV story)|Doctor Who]]'', in which the Doctor regenerated into his [[Eighth Doctor|eighth incarnation]], portrayed by [[Paul McGann]].
 
Although previous actors have reprised their incarnations for various specials ([[TV]]: ''[[The Five Doctors (TV story)|The Five Doctors]]'', [[TV]]: ''[[Time Crash (TV story)|Time Crash]]'' for example), McCoy is the only actor to portray the "current" Doctor in a broadcast television adventure over a span of 10 years.
 
At 5'6", he remains the shortest man to play [[the Doctor]].
 
==== Post-cancellation ====
Although McCoy only appeared on television as the Doctor for three extremely abbreviated series, his Doctor was treated as the "current" one from his debut in ''[[Time and the Rani (TV story)|Time and the Rani]]'' in 1987 to his regeneration scene in ''[[Doctor Who (TV story)|Doctor Who]]'' in 1996 by many fans and organisations. According to this line of thought, McCoy's Doctor, therefore, lasted for nine years, outlasting [[Tom Baker]]'s seven-year run as the [[Fourth Doctor]]. However, he does not hold the title of "longest-serving current Doctor" by the same reasoning, a title held by [[Paul McGann]] despite having only appeared on television for the TV movie and the mini-episode ''[[The Night of the Doctor (TV story)|The Night of the Doctor]]'', together totalling only 96 minutes of screen time.
 
[[File:Sylvester McCoy 2008.jpg|thumb|right|Sylvester McCoy in 2008.]]
McCoy has remained an active supporter of the franchise from 1987 to the present. In addition to the 1996 telemovie, he also returned for the 1993 charity special, ''[[Dimensions in Time (TV story)|Dimensions in Time]]'', and in a short segment for British educational television called, ''[[Search Out Space]]''.
 
He appeared in several independent, ''Doctor Who''-inspired productions by [[BBV Productions]], starting with ''The Airzone Solution'' where he was reunited with many fellow Doctor actors in an unrelated sci-fi plot. He also appeared in an antagonistic role in the first ''[[P.R.O.B.E. (series)|P.R.O.B.E.]]'' film opposite [[Caroline John]]'s returning [[Liz Shaw|Liz]], and starred in the ''[[The Time Travellers (series)|The Time Travellers]]'' audio series as a [[The Dominie|"Professor" character]] highly similar to his Doctor alongside [[Sophie Aldred]] as a [[Alice|slightly different Ace]]. In self-parody of this and other "pseudo-Doctors", he headlined BBV's spoof direct-to-video film, ''[[Do You Have a Licence to Save this Planet?]]'', in which he played a "[[Chrono-Duke]]" called [[the Chiropodist]].
 
He also reprised the role of the Doctor for the animated webcast ''[[Death Comes to Time (webcast)|Death Comes to Time]]'', the first made-for-internet ''Doctor Who'' story. He has also reprised the role of the Seventh Doctor multiple times a year for [[Big Finish Productions]] since the company's gaining of a ''Doctor Who'' license. Like most other "Doctor actors" that have been involved with the company, he has made far more appearances as the Doctor on audio than on television.
 
=== Post-''Doctor Who'' career ===
McCoy's more recent roles have included Michael Sams in the 1997 telemovie ''Beyond Fear'', shown on the first night of broadcast of Channel Five.
 
He has also acted extensively in theatre in productions as diverse as pantomime and Molière. He played the role of Snuff in the macabre BBC Radio 4 comedy series ''The Cabaret of Dr Caligari'', and The Fool in a Stratford production of ''King Lear'' by the Royal Shakespeare Company, opposite Sir Ian McKellan.
 
When the news of [[David Tennant]] leaving ''Doctor Who'' was announced and quickly spread, Sylvester McCoy said in an interview that he believed [[Andrew Sachs]] (best known for his role as Manuel in ''[[Fawlty Towers]]'', who had appeared in the ''[[Shada (webcast)|Shada]]'' webcast) would be best for the role. Regardless he approved of the casting of [[Matt Smith]] and has recited Smith's famous speech from [[The Pandorica Opens (TV story)|The Pandorica Opens]] at conventions.
 
Recently, in "The Lollipop Man", an episode of the medical soap opera {{wi|Doctors (2000 TV series)|Doctors}}, McCoy played the role of Graham Capelli, a [[retire]]d actor best known for playing the title character in a 1980s children's television character similar to the Doctor. The role was written as a tribute to McCoy. The episode featured several references to ''Doctor Who''.
 
McCoy was attached to play Governor Swann in ''Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl'' when Steven Spielberg was attached to direct it in the early 90s, Disney didn't give permission for the film to be made then. When the movie was greenlit the role was played by [[Jonathan Pryce]].
 
In 2010 McCoy was announced to play the part of the wizard {{iw|lotr|Radagast}} in the three-part movie adaptation of ''[[The Hobbit]]''.
 
He portrayed the [[Witch Prime]] in [[The Minister of Chance (series)|the Minister of Chance]] series of audio dramas.
 
In 2013, Sylvester and his co-star [[Sophie Aldred]] partnered up for the [[Doctor Who]] edition of the game show "[[Pointless Celebrities: Doctor Who Special|Pointless Celebrities]]". Later the same year he also appeared as himself in ''[[The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot]]'', in which he and fellow actors [[Peter Davison]] and [[Colin Baker]] attempt to appear in the 50th Anniversary episode ''[[The Day of the Doctor (TV story)|The Day of the Doctor]]''.
 
== Descendants ==
Sylvester has a son [[Sam Kent-Smith]] who is an artist and was a 3D artist for the ''Doctor Who'' video game ''[[Return to Earth (video game)|Return to Earth]]''.<ref>[https://www.vgfacts.com/trivia/3699/ Doctor Who: Return to Earth - Game - View Single Trivia - VGFacts]</ref>
 
Sam also made an uncredited cameo as a [[Haemovore]] in ''[[The Curse of Fenric (TV story)|The Curse of Fenric]]''.<ref>[http://www.shannonsullivan.com/drwho/serials/7m.html Shannon Sullivan]</ref>
 
== Credits ==
As the [[Seventh Doctor]]
=== Television ===
==== Doctor Who ====
* ''[[Time and the Rani (TV story)|Time and the Rani]]''
* ''[[Paradise Towers (TV story)|Paradise Towers]]''
* ''[[Delta and the Bannermen (TV story)|Delta and the Bannermen]]''
* ''[[Dragonfire (TV story)|Dragonfire]]''
* ''[[Remembrance of the Daleks (TV story)|Remembrance of the Daleks]]''
* ''[[The Happiness Patrol (TV story)|The Happiness Patrol]]''
* ''[[Silver Nemesis (TV story)|Silver Nemesis]]''
* ''[[The Greatest Show in the Galaxy (TV story)|The Greatest Show in the Galaxy]]''
* ''[[Battlefield (TV story)|Battlefield]]''
* ''[[Ghost Light (TV story)|Ghost Light]]''
* ''[[The Curse of Fenric (TV story)|The Curse of Fenric]]''
* ''[[Survival (TV story)|Survival]]''
* ''[[Doctor Who (TV story)|Doctor Who]]''
* ''[[The Power of the Doctor (TV story)|The Power of the Doctor]]''
 
==== Other ====
* ''[[Search Out Space]]''
* ''[[Dimensions in Time (TV story)|Dimensions in Time]]''
* ''[[Untitled (1988 TV story)|Untitled]]''
 
=== Webcasts ===
==== Doctor Who ====
* ''[[Death Comes to Time (webcast)|Death Comes to Time]]''
 
==== Tales of the TARDIS ====
* ''[[The Curse of Fenric (TotT TV story)|The Curse of Fenric]]''
 
==== The Collection ====
* ''[[24 Carat (webcast)|24 Carat]]''
 
=== Audio ===
==== Doctor Who Main Range ====
* ''[[The Sirens of Time (audio story)|The Sirens of Time]]''
* ''[[The Fearmonger (audio story)|The Fearmonger]]''
* ''[[The Genocide Machine (audio story)|The Genocide Machine]]''
* ''[[The Fires of Vulcan (audio story)|The Fires of Vulcan]]''
* ''[[The Shadow of the Scourge (audio story)|The Shadow of the Scourge]]''
* ''[[Dust Breeding (audio story)|Dust Breeding]]''
* ''[[Colditz (audio story)|Colditz]]''
* ''[[The Rapture (audio story)|The Rapture]]''
* ''[[Bang-Bang-a-Boom! (audio story)|Bang-Bang-a-Boom!]]''
* ''[[The Dark Flame (audio story)|The Dark Flame]]''
* ''[[Project Lazarus (audio story)|Project Lazarus]]''
* ''[[Flip-Flop (audio story)|Flip-Flop]]''
* ''[[Master (audio story)|Master]]''
* ''[[Zagreus (audio story)|Zagreus]]''
* ''[[The Wormery (audio story)|The Wormery]]''
* ''[[The Harvest (audio story)|The Harvest]]''
* ''[[Dreamtime (audio story)|Dreamtime]]''
* ''[[Unregenerate! (audio story)|Unregenerate!]]''
* ''[[Thicker Than Water (audio story)|Thicker Than Water]]''
* ''[[LIVE 34 (audio story)|LIVE 34]]''
* ''[[Night Thoughts (audio story)|Night Thoughts]]''
* ''[[The Settling (audio story)|The Settling]]''
* ''[[Red (audio story)|Red]]''
* ''[[No Man's Land (audio story)|No Man's Land]]''
* ''[[Nocturne (audio story)|Nocturne]]''
* ''[[Valhalla (audio story)|Valhalla]]''
* ''[[Frozen Time (audio story)|Frozen Time]]''
* ''[[The Dark Husband (audio story)|The Dark Husband]]''
* ''[[The Death Collectors (audio story)|The Death Collectors]]'' / ''[[Spider's Shadow (audio story)|Spider's Shadow]]''
* ''[[Kingdom of Silver (audio story)|Kingdom of Silver]]'' / ''[[Keepsake (audio story)|Keepsake]]''
* ''[[Forty-Five (audio anthology)|Forty-Five]]''
** ''[[False Gods (audio story)|False Gods]]''
** ''[[Order of Simplicity (audio story)|Order of Simplicity]]''
** ''[[Casualties of War (audio story)|Casualties of War]]''
** ''[[The Word Lord (audio story)|The Word Lord]]''
* ''[[The Magic Mousetrap (audio story)|The Magic Mousetrap]]''
* ''[[Enemy of the Daleks (audio story)|Enemy of the Daleks]]''
* ''[[The Angel of Scutari (audio story)|The Angel of Scutari]]''
* ''[[A Thousand Tiny Wings (audio story)|A Thousand Tiny Wings]]''
* ''[[Survival of the Fittest (audio story)|Survival of the Fittest]]'' / ''[[Klein's Story (audio story)|Klein's Story]]''
* ''[[The Architects of History (audio story)|The Architects of History]]''
* ''[[Project Destiny (audio story)|Project: Destiny]]''
* ''[[A Death in the Family (audio story)|A Death in the Family]]''
* ''[[Lurkers at Sunlight's Edge (audio story)|Lurkers at Sunlight's Edge]]''
* ''[[Robophobia (audio story)|Robophobia]]''
* ''[[The Doomsday Quatrain (audio story)|The Doomsday Quatrain]]''
* ''[[House of Blue Fire (audio story)|House of Blue Fire]]''
* ''[[Protect and Survive (audio story)|Protect and Survive]]''
* ''[[Black and White (audio story)|Black and White]]''
* ''[[Gods and Monsters (audio story)|Gods and Monsters]]''
* ''[[The Shadow Heart (audio story)|The Shadow Heart]]''
* ''[[Persuasion (audio story)|Persuasion]]''
* ''[[Starlight Robbery (audio story)|Starlight Robbery]]''
* ''[[Daleks Among Us (audio story)|Daleks Among Us]]''
* ''[[1963: The Assassination Games (audio story)|1963: The Assassination Games]]''
* ''[[Afterlife (audio story)|Afterlife]]''
* ''[[Revenge of the Swarm (audio story)|Revenge of the Swarm]]''
* ''[[Mask of Tragedy (audio story)|Mask of Tragedy]]''
* ''[[Signs and Wonders (audio story)|Signs and Wonders]]''
* ''[[The Defectors (audio story)|The Defectors]]''
* ''[[We Are The Daleks (audio story)|We Are The Daleks]]''
* ''[[The Warehouse (audio story)|The Warehouse]]''
* ''[[Terror of the Sontarans (audio story)|Terror of the Sontarans]]''
* ''[[You Are the Doctor and Other Stories]]''
** ''[[You Are the Doctor (audio story)|You Are the Doctor]]''
** ''[[Come Die With Me (audio story)|Come Die with Me]]''
** ''[[The Grand Betelgeuse Hotel (audio story)|The Grand Betelgeuse Hotel]]''
** ''[[Dead to the World (audio story)|Dead to the World]]''
* ''[[The Two Masters (audio story)|The Two Masters]]''
* ''[[A Life of Crime (audio story)|A Life of Crime]]''
* ''[[Fiesta of the Damned (audio story)|Fiesta of the Damned]]''
* ''[[Maker of Demons (audio story)|Maker of Demons]]''
* ''[[Shadow Planet (audio story)|Shadow Planet]]'' / ''[[World Apart (audio story)|World Apart]]''
* ''[[The High Price of Parking (audio story)|The High Price of Parking]]''
* ''[[The Blood Furnace (audio story)|The Blood Furnace]]''
* ''[[The Silurian Candidate (audio story)|The Silurian Candidate]]''
* ''[[Red Planets (audio story)|Red Planets]]''
* ''[[The Dispossessed (audio story)|The Dispossessed]]''
* ''[[The Quantum Possibility Engine (audio story)|The Quantum Possibility Engine]]''
* ''[[Warlock's Cross (audio story)|Warlock's Cross]]''
* ''[[Muse of Fire (audio story)|Muse of Fire]]''
* ''[[The Monsters of Gokroth (audio story)|The Monsters of Gokroth]]''
* ''[[The Moons of Vulpana (audio story)|The Moons of Vulpana]]''
* ''[[An Alien Werewolf in London (audio story)|An Alien Werewolf in London]]''
* ''[[Dark Universe (audio story)|Dark Universe]]''
* ''[[The Psychic Circus (audio story)|The Psychic Circus]]''
* ''[[Subterfuge (audio story)|Subterfuge]]''
* ''[[The Flying Dutchman (audio story)|The Flying Dutchman]]'' / ''[[Displaced (audio story)|Displaced]]''
* ''[[The Grey Man of the Mountain (audio story)|The Grey Man of the Mountain]]''
* ''[[The End of the Beginning (audio story)|The End of the Beginning]]''
 
==== Special Releases ====
* ''[[Last of the Titans (audio story)|Last of the Titans]]''
* ''[[Excelis Decays (audio story)|Excelis Decays]]''
* ''[[Return of the Daleks (audio story)|Return of the Daleks]]''
* ''[[The Four Doctors (audio story)|The Four Doctors]]''
* ''[[The Light at the End (audio story)|The Light at the End]]''
* ''[[The Legacy of Time (audio anthology)|The Legacy of Time]]''
** ''[[The Split Infinitive (audio story)|The Split Infinitive]]''
** ''[[Collision Course (audio story)|Collision Course]]''
 
==== The Lost Stories ====
* ''[[Thin Ice (audio story)|Thin Ice]]''
* ''[[Crime of the Century (audio story)|Crime of the Century]]''
* ''[[Animal (audio story)|Animal]]''
* ''[[Earth Aid (audio story)|Earth Aid]]''
 
==== The Sixth Doctor Adventures ====
* ''[[The Brink of Death (audio story)|The Brink of Death]]''
 
==== The Seventh Doctor Adventures ====
* ''[[Silver and Ice (audio anthology)|Silver and Ice]]''
** ''[[Bad Day in Tinseltown (audio story)|Bad Day in Tinseltown]]''
** ''[[The Ribos Inheritance (audio story)|The Ribos Operation]]''
* ''[[Sullivan and Cross - AWOL (audio anthology)|Sullivan and Cross - AWOL]]''
** ''[[London Orbital (audio story)|London Orbital]]''
** ''[[Scream of the Daleks (audio story)|Scream of the Daleks]]''
* ''[[Far From Home (audio anthology)|Far From Home]]''
** ''[[Operation Dusk (audio story)|Operation Dusk]]''
** ''[[Naomi's Ark (audio story)|Naomi's Ark]]''
* ''[[The Last Day (audio story)|The Last Day]]''
 
==== Novel Adaptations ====
* ''[[Love and War (audio story)|Love and War]]''
* ''[[The Highest Science (audio story)|The Highest Science]]''
* ''[[Damaged Goods (audio story)|Damaged Goods]]''
* ''[[Theatre of War (audio story)|Theatre of War]]''
* ''[[All-Consuming Fire (audio story)|All-Consuming Fire]]''
* ''[[Nightshade (audio story)|Nightshade]]''
* ''[[Original Sin (audio story)|Original Sin]]''
* ''[[Cold Fusion (audio story)|Cold Fusion]]''
 
==== Classic Doctors, New Monsters ====
* ''[[Harvest of the Sycorax (audio story)|Harvest of the Sycorax]]''
 
==== Once and Future ====
* ''[[Past Lives (audio story)|Past Lives]]''
* ''[[The Artist at the End of Time (audio story)|The Artist at the End of Time]]''
* ''[[A Genius for War (audio story)|A Genius for War]]''
* ''[[The Union (audio story)|The Union]]''
 
==== Doom Coalition ====
* ''[[The Eleven (audio story)|The Eleven]]''
 
==== The Companion Chronicles ====
* ''[[Project Nirvana (audio story)|Project Nirvana]]''
 
==== The Diary of River Song ====
* ''[[The Unknown (audio story)|The Unknown]]''
* ''[[The Eye of the Storm (audio story)|The Eye of the Storm]]''
 
==== The New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield ====
* ''[[The Final Amendment (audio story)|The Final Amendment]]'' (uncredited)
* ''[[Many Happy Returns (audio story)|Many Happy Returns]]''
* ''[[The Revolution (audio story)|The Revolution]]''
* ''[[Good Night, Sweet Ladies (audio story)|Good Night Sweet Ladies]]''
* ''[[The Lights of Skaro (audio story)|The Lights of Skaro]]''
* ''[[The Pyramid of Sutekh (audio story)|The Pyramid of Sutekh]]''
* ''[[The Vaults of Osiris (audio story)|The Vault of Osiris]]''
* ''[[The Eye of Horus (audio story)|The Eye of Horus]]''
* ''[[The Tears of Isis (audio story)|The Tears of Isis]]''
 
==== The Eighth of March ====
* ''[[The Big Blue Book (audio story)|The Big Blue Book]]''
 
==== UNIT ====
* ''[[Dominion (audio story)|Dominion]]''
 
As [[Persidian III|the Witch Prime]]
 
=== Audio ===
==== The Minister of Chance ====
* ''[[The Pointed Hand (audio story)|The Pointed Hand]]''
* ''[[The Broken World (audio story)|The Broken World]]''
* ''[[The Forest Shakes (audio story)|The Forest Shakes]]''
* ''[[Paludin Fields (audio story)|Paludin Fields]]''
* ''[[The Tiger (audio story)|The Tiger]]''
* ''[[In a Barque on the River Hex (audio story)|In a Barque on the River Hex]]''
 
Other Roles
=== Television ===
==== Other ====
* ''[[The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot (TV story)|The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot]]''
 
=== Direct-to-video ===
==== BBV Productions ====
* ''[[The Zero Imperative (home video)|The Zero Imperative]]'' - [[Colin Dove|Doctor Colin Dove]]
* ''[[Do You Have a Licence to Save this Planet? (home video)|Do You Have a Licence to Save this Planet?]]'' - [[The Chiropodist]]
 
=== Audio ===
==== Doctor Who Main Range ====
* ''[[Zagreus (audio story)|Zagreus]]'' - [[Walton Winkle]]
 
==== AUK Studios ====
* ''[[Children of the Circus (audio story)|Children of the Circus]]'' - [[The High Poet]]
 
==== The Time Travellers ====
* ''[[Republica (audio story)|Republica]]'' - [[The Dominie|The Professor]]
* ''[[Island of Lost Souls (audio story)|Island of Lost Souls]]'' - The Professor
* ''[[Prosperity Island (audio story)|Prosperity Island]]'' - The Professor
* ''[[The Left Hand of Darkness (audio story)|The Left Hand of Darkness]]'' - The Professor
* ''[[The Other Side (TT audio story)|The Other Side]]'' - The Professor
* ''[[Guests for the Night (audio story)|Guests for the Night]]'' - The Professor
* ''[[Ghosts (TT audio story)|Ghosts]]'' - [[The Dominie]]
* ''[[Only Human (audio story)|Only Human]]'' - The Dominie
* ''[[Blood Sports (audio story)|Blood Sports]]'' - The Dominie
* ''[[Punchline (audio story)|Punchline]]'' - [[Dominic Perkins]] / The Dominie
 
=== Documentary appearances ===
* ''[[The Making of Doctor Who: Silver Nemesis]]''
* ''[[30 Years in the TARDIS]]''
* ''[[Holiday Camp (documentary)|Holiday Camp]]''
 
== External links ==
{{imdb name|id=0566809}}
* [http://www.sylvestermccoy.com Sylvester McCoy] - The Unofficial Site
* [http://www.sylvestermccoy.com Sylvester McCoy] - The Unofficial Site
{{Wikipedia|Sylvester_McCoy}}


== Footnotes ==
{{reflist}}
{{NameSort}}
[[es:Sylvester McCoy]]
[[fr:Sylvester McCoy]]
[[ru:Сильвестр МакКой]]


[[Category:Real World|McCoy, Sylvester]]
[[Category:Articles that were originally Wikipedia forks]]
[[Category:Doctor Who cast|McCoy, Sylvester]]
[[Category:Doctor Who regular cast]]
[[Category:BBV Productions actors]]
[[Category:The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot cast]]
[[Category:Video game actors]]
[[Category:Doctor Who webcast actors]]
[[Category:Big Finish Bernice Summerfield voice actors]]
[[Category:Actors who have voiced for the Doctor]]
[[Category:The New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield voice actors]]
[[Category:Pre-2005 Doctor Who cast reprising their roles at Big Finish]]
[[Category:The Diary of River Song voice actors]]
[[Category:Big Finish UNIT voice actors]]
[[Category:Actors who were credited in the Doctor Who opening titles]]
[[Category:BBCi actors]]
[[Category:Actors interviewed on Doctor Who Confidential]]
[[Category:Doctor Who Pinball voice actors]]
[[Category:People interviewed on Doctor Who Live]]
[[Category:Actors who had speaking roles in adlibbed stories]]
[[Category:People interviewed on The Fan Show]]
[[Category:Classic Doctors, New Monsters voice actors]]
[[Category:Novel Adaptations voice actors]]
[[Category:Doom Coalition voice actors]]
[[Category:Excelis Saga voice actors]]
[[Category:The Companion Chronicles voice actors]]
[[Category:Bonus Releases voice actors]]
[[Category:The Lost Stories voice actors]]
[[Category:Main Range voice actors]]
[[Category:Special Releases voice actors]]
[[Category:Big Finish regular cast]]
[[Category:1963 Doctor Who cast reprising their roles in 2005 Doctor Who]]
[[Category:Actors who portrayed multiple incarnations of the Doctor]]
[[Category:BBV Productions voice actors]]
[[Category:The Minister of Chance voice actors]]
[[Category:Actors who portrayed the Sixth Doctor]]
[[Category:Actors who portrayed the Seventh Doctor]]
[[Category:The Sixth Doctor Adventures voice actors]]
[[Category:The Seventh Doctor Adventures voice actors]]
[[Category:The Eighth of March voice actors]]
[[Category:The Legacy of Time voice actors]]
[[Category:Once and Future voice actors]]

Latest revision as of 20:19, 3 November 2024

RealWorld.png

You may be looking for his DWU counterpart or the non-DWU individual.

Sylvester McCoy (born 20 August 1943[1] as Percy James Patrick Kent-Smith) played the Seventh Doctor from 1987 to 1989 and 1996, beginning from Time and the Rani to Survival, before returning for Doctor Who.

He has reprised the role in the game show Search Out Space, the 1993 Children in Need special Dimensions in Time and Big Finish Productions' audio adventures since 1999, as well as an alternative version in the webcast Death Comes to Time.

He is sometimes credited as Sylveste McCoy.

Profile[[edit] | [edit source]]

Prior to Doctor Who[[edit] | [edit source]]

McCoy was born Percy James Patrick Kent-Smith in Dunoon, Scotland. In his youth, he trained for the priesthood but gave this up and worked for a time in the insurance industry. He worked in The Roundhouse box office for a time, where he was discovered by Ken Campbell. He was a bodyguard for the Rolling Stones.

He came to prominence as a member of the comedy act The Ken Campbell Roadshow. His best-known act was in a play called An Evening with Sylveste McCoy, in which the title character was a stuntman whose stunts included putting a fork and nails up his nose and stuffing ferrets down his trousers. As a joke, in order to make the audience believe the character really existed, the cast listing in the programme billed Sylveste McCoy as being played by "Sylveste McCoy". After a reviewer missed the joke and assumed that Sylveste McCoy was a real person, Kent-Smith adopted it as his stage name. Some years later, he added an "r" to "Sylveste" — possibly because of there being thirteen letters in "Sylveste McCoy".

Notable television appearances before he gained the role of the Doctor included roles in Vision On (where he played Pepe, a character who lived in the mirror) and Tiswas. McCoy also played in one-man shows on the stage as two famous movie comedians, Stan Laurel and Buster Keaton. He appeared as Bowers in the 1985 television mini-series about Robert Falcon Scott's last Antarctic expedition, The Last Place on Earth, and had a small non-speaking role in the 1979 film version of Dracula, with Laurence Olivier and Frank Langella. (McCoy had also played the title role onstage.) In his Sylveste McCoy persona, he appeared in the first Secret Policeman's Ball film, a comedy/musical program in support of Amnesty International. The film was released to DVD in Region 1 in early 2009 as part of a box set of the Secret Policeman's benefits.

Only months before being cast as the Seventh Doctor, McCoy played a villain in a B-film entitled Three Kinds of Heat, which featured appearances by a number of Who alumni including Trevor Martin and, most notably, onetime Romana I actress Mary Tamm, whose character was killed by McCoy's character.

As the Seventh Doctor[[edit] | [edit source]]

The television years[[edit] | [edit source]]

McCoy took over the lead role of Doctor Who from Colin Baker in 1987 and remained until the series was shelved in 1989. He would in turn hand over to Paul McGann in 1996.

McCoy was one of several actors considered for the role. In 2010, audition tapes for several actors were included on the DVD release of the Seventh Doctor's debut story, Time and the Rani. In this audition, McCoy played opposite Janet Fielding (companion Tegan Jovanka from the Peter Davison era), who portrayed a villain in the scene.[1] Another audition piece was released on the Dragonfire DVD release.

McCoy actually has the distinction of having played two incarnations of the Doctor; when Baker declined an invitation to record the regeneration scene in Time and the Rani, McCoy put on a wig and Baker's costume and, with his face obscured by special effects, filled in for the role.

In his first season, McCoy, a comedy actor, portrayed the character with a degree of clown-like humour, but script editor Andrew Cartmel soon changed that. The Seventh Doctor developed into a much darker figure than any of his earlier incarnations, manipulating people like chess pieces and always seeming to be playing a deeper game. McCoy generally approved of this, as it allowed him to play more of a dramatic role.

A distinguishing feature of McCoy's performances was his manner of speech. He used a slight Scottish accent (the only Doctor to have used a Scottish accent on a regular basis until Peter Capaldi began as the Twelfth Doctor), rolled his "r"s, and often placed emphasis on unusual syllables or words. This has the added (possibly intentional) effect of sounding a little alien and wrong-footing the audience. It also made the viewer question established speech patterns often taken for granted. At the start of his tenure, he used proverbs and sayings adapted to his own ends (e.g. "There's many a slap twixt cup and lap" — Delta and the Bannermen), although this characteristic was phased out during the later, darker seasons of his tenure.

McCoy saw out the end of the original run with 1989's Survival, the last regularly airing Doctor Who story until Rose, which aired in 2005. He later reprised the role in the 1996 one-off, Doctor Who, in which the Doctor regenerated into his eighth incarnation, portrayed by Paul McGann.

Although previous actors have reprised their incarnations for various specials (TV: The Five Doctors, TV: Time Crash for example), McCoy is the only actor to portray the "current" Doctor in a broadcast television adventure over a span of 10 years.

At 5'6", he remains the shortest man to play the Doctor.

Post-cancellation[[edit] | [edit source]]

Although McCoy only appeared on television as the Doctor for three extremely abbreviated series, his Doctor was treated as the "current" one from his debut in Time and the Rani in 1987 to his regeneration scene in Doctor Who in 1996 by many fans and organisations. According to this line of thought, McCoy's Doctor, therefore, lasted for nine years, outlasting Tom Baker's seven-year run as the Fourth Doctor. However, he does not hold the title of "longest-serving current Doctor" by the same reasoning, a title held by Paul McGann despite having only appeared on television for the TV movie and the mini-episode The Night of the Doctor, together totalling only 96 minutes of screen time.

Sylvester McCoy in 2008.

McCoy has remained an active supporter of the franchise from 1987 to the present. In addition to the 1996 telemovie, he also returned for the 1993 charity special, Dimensions in Time, and in a short segment for British educational television called, Search Out Space.

He appeared in several independent, Doctor Who-inspired productions by BBV Productions, starting with The Airzone Solution where he was reunited with many fellow Doctor actors in an unrelated sci-fi plot. He also appeared in an antagonistic role in the first P.R.O.B.E. film opposite Caroline John's returning Liz, and starred in the The Time Travellers audio series as a "Professor" character highly similar to his Doctor alongside Sophie Aldred as a slightly different Ace. In self-parody of this and other "pseudo-Doctors", he headlined BBV's spoof direct-to-video film, Do You Have a Licence to Save this Planet?, in which he played a "Chrono-Duke" called the Chiropodist.

He also reprised the role of the Doctor for the animated webcast Death Comes to Time, the first made-for-internet Doctor Who story. He has also reprised the role of the Seventh Doctor multiple times a year for Big Finish Productions since the company's gaining of a Doctor Who license. Like most other "Doctor actors" that have been involved with the company, he has made far more appearances as the Doctor on audio than on television.

Post-Doctor Who career[[edit] | [edit source]]

McCoy's more recent roles have included Michael Sams in the 1997 telemovie Beyond Fear, shown on the first night of broadcast of Channel Five.

He has also acted extensively in theatre in productions as diverse as pantomime and Molière. He played the role of Snuff in the macabre BBC Radio 4 comedy series The Cabaret of Dr Caligari, and The Fool in a Stratford production of King Lear by the Royal Shakespeare Company, opposite Sir Ian McKellan.

When the news of David Tennant leaving Doctor Who was announced and quickly spread, Sylvester McCoy said in an interview that he believed Andrew Sachs (best known for his role as Manuel in Fawlty Towers, who had appeared in the Shada webcast) would be best for the role. Regardless he approved of the casting of Matt Smith and has recited Smith's famous speech from The Pandorica Opens at conventions.

Recently, in "The Lollipop Man", an episode of the medical soap opera Doctors, McCoy played the role of Graham Capelli, a retired actor best known for playing the title character in a 1980s children's television character similar to the Doctor. The role was written as a tribute to McCoy. The episode featured several references to Doctor Who.

McCoy was attached to play Governor Swann in Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl when Steven Spielberg was attached to direct it in the early 90s, Disney didn't give permission for the film to be made then. When the movie was greenlit the role was played by Jonathan Pryce.

In 2010 McCoy was announced to play the part of the wizard Radagast in the three-part movie adaptation of The Hobbit.

He portrayed the Witch Prime in the Minister of Chance series of audio dramas.

In 2013, Sylvester and his co-star Sophie Aldred partnered up for the Doctor Who edition of the game show "Pointless Celebrities". Later the same year he also appeared as himself in The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot, in which he and fellow actors Peter Davison and Colin Baker attempt to appear in the 50th Anniversary episode The Day of the Doctor.

Descendants[[edit] | [edit source]]

Sylvester has a son Sam Kent-Smith who is an artist and was a 3D artist for the Doctor Who video game Return to Earth.[2]

Sam also made an uncredited cameo as a Haemovore in The Curse of Fenric.[3]

Credits[[edit] | [edit source]]

As the Seventh Doctor

Television[[edit] | [edit source]]

Doctor Who[[edit] | [edit source]]

Other[[edit] | [edit source]]

Webcasts[[edit] | [edit source]]

Doctor Who[[edit] | [edit source]]

Tales of the TARDIS[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Collection[[edit] | [edit source]]

Audio[[edit] | [edit source]]

Doctor Who Main Range[[edit] | [edit source]]

Special Releases[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Lost Stories[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Sixth Doctor Adventures[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Seventh Doctor Adventures[[edit] | [edit source]]

Novel Adaptations[[edit] | [edit source]]

Classic Doctors, New Monsters[[edit] | [edit source]]

Once and Future[[edit] | [edit source]]

Doom Coalition[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Companion Chronicles[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Diary of River Song[[edit] | [edit source]]

The New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Eighth of March[[edit] | [edit source]]

UNIT[[edit] | [edit source]]

As the Witch Prime

Audio[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Minister of Chance[[edit] | [edit source]]

Other Roles

Television[[edit] | [edit source]]

Other[[edit] | [edit source]]

Direct-to-video[[edit] | [edit source]]

BBV Productions[[edit] | [edit source]]

Audio[[edit] | [edit source]]

Doctor Who Main Range[[edit] | [edit source]]

AUK Studios[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Time Travellers[[edit] | [edit source]]

Documentary appearances[[edit] | [edit source]]

External links[[edit] | [edit source]]

Footnotes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  1. ↑ Famous Birthdays
  2. ↑ Doctor Who: Return to Earth - Game - View Single Trivia - VGFacts
  3. ↑ Shannon Sullivan
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